1 Designs for 10, 20, 50 and 100 KM banknotes differ for two entities of FBiH and RS in some aspects (images, order of scripts etc.). Residual banknote (200 KM) and all of the coins are same for both entities.

The names derive from the German language. Three official languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian) have adopted German nouns die Mark and der Pfennig as loanwords marka and pfenig. The Official Gazette of BiH (Bosnian:Službeni glasnik BiH), Official newspaper of FBiH (Bosnian:Službene novine FBiH) and other official documents recognized pfenig or пфениг[2] (depending on the script; Bosnian and Serbian use both Latin and Cyrillic on an equal footing, while Croatian uses only Latin) as the name of the subdivision.

Banknotes of 50 fenings/pfenigs were in circulation from 1998 to 2000.[1] They were denoted as "50 KONVERTIBILNIH PFENIGA" / "50 КОНВЕРТИБИЛНИХ ПФЕНИГА"; however, the word convertible should never be next to the pfenig because only the mark can be convertible.[3](See Mistakes for all of the mistakes on banknotes and coins.) Coins of 10, 20 and 50 pfenigs have been in circulation since 1998[1] (the 5-pfenigs coin was released in 2006).[1] All of them are inscribed "~ feninga" / "~ фенинга" on the obverse. Misspelling fening/фенинг has never been corrected, and it took that much hold that is now officially adopted and not recognized as an incorrect name.[1]

mȁrākā(mȁr: a – short vowel, falling tone; vowels ā are not accentuated but have genitive length) and pfénīgā/fénīngā((p)fé: e – short vowel, rising tone; vowels ī and ā are not accentuated but have genitive length)

For the pfenig, the plural is pfeniga/feninga with a short unaccentuated a, whereas the genitive plural is pfeniga/feninga (same) but with a long unaccentuated i and a. A syllable after an accentuated syllable whose vowel is pronounced as a long and with a continuous tone (neither rising or falling) is said to have a genitive length (although, word need not to be necessarily in the genitive case in order to have genitive length on its syllable; it can be in locative, too).

These matters should be noted when one uses the local names in English. For example, English plural "ten pfenigas" / "ten feningas" is incorrect as the final a in BSC plural pfeniga/feninga already indicates the plural. So, "ten pfenigs" / "ten fenings" should be used instead. The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH) uses "fenings" as the English plural.[1] Likewise, "twenty-one markas" / "two markes" / "twelve marakas" is incorrect; "twenty-one marks" / "two marks" / "twelve marks" should be used instead.

In December 1998, coins were introduced in denominations of 10, 20 and 50 fenings/pfenigs.[1] Coins of 1, 2 and 5 marks were introduced later.[1] The coins were designed by Bosnian designer Kenan Zekic[4] and minted at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant (Wales, UK).[1]

In 1998, notes were introduced in denominations of 50 fenings/pfenigs, 1 mark, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 marks. 200-mark notes were added in 2002, whilst the 50-fening/pfenig, 1- and 5-mark notes were later withdrawn from circulation. All current notes are valid throughout the country.[1]

The banknotes are issued by the Central Bank of Bosnia Herzegovina, with distinct designs for the entities of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska,1 except for the largest denomination – 200-mark note.[1] On the notes of the Republika Srpska, inscriptions are printed in Cyrillic, then Latin script, and vice versa. Banknotes, with the exception of the 200-mark note, are printed by the French company Oberthur.[1][5]

The portrait of Meša Selimović, a writer, was featured by consensus between both entities on all 5 KM notes used between 1998 and 2010.[1]

On 15 May 2002, a 200 KM banknote, designed by Robert Kalina, was introduced during a promotion that was held in the Central Bank of BH. The reverse design which depicts a bridge is meant to resemble the euro banknotes, which were also designed by Robert Kalina. After an international tender, the Austrian company Oesterreichische Banknoten und Sicherheitsdruck GmbH (OeBS) in Vienna was chosen to print the notes. Initially, six million were ordered.[11]

Initially the mark was pegged to the German mark at par.[1] Since the replacement of the German mark by the euro in 2002, the Bosnian convertible mark uses the same fixed exchange rate to euro that the German mark has (that is, 1 EUR = 1.95583 BAM).[1]

These are the most important mistakes that have been noticed till now:

50 fenings/pfenigs banknote in both designs had the adjective "convertible" next to the noun "pfenig" although only mark can be convertible ("50 KONVERTIBILNIH PFENIGA" / "50 КОНВЕРТИБИЛНИХ ПФЕНИГА").[3]

1 KM banknote for Republika Srpska was printed as "ИВО АНДРИЂ" instead of "ИВО АНДРИЋ". This banknote was immediately removed from circulation.[a]

5 KM banknote in both designs had the Cyrillic word "five" incorrectly printed in Latin script on its reverse side ("PET КОНВЕРТИБИЛНИХ МАРАКА").

10 KM banknote for Republika Srpska (first series, 1998) had Aleksa Šantić's name printed in Latin script although it should have been printed in Cyrillic script as it is on all other examples in 1998 series.

100 KM banknote[which?] in both designs was incorrectly printed with the Cyrillic abbreviation (acronym) of Central bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina with "Џ" instead of "Ц" (i.e. "ЏББХ" instead of "ЦББХ") in safety bar.

The name of the subdivision of convertible mark found on coins has been incorrectly written, the word "pfenig" being written as "fening". This mistake took so much hold (especially because there were no (and are no) 50 pfenigs banknotes in circulation) that "fening" is now officially adopted and not recognized as incorrect for the KM's hundredth part.[1]

^ This Republika Srpska issue of 1 KM was immediately removed from circulation because of a typo. Instead of "Иво Андрић" it was written "Иво Андриђ". The decision not to release into the circulation the banknote in denominations of 1 convertible mark was published in Official Gazette of BiH (No 13/98).

^ This Republika Srpska issue of 5 KM is same as the one for FBiH but for RS issue denominations are written in Cyrillic script first and then in Latin (for FBiH issue vice versa).

^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwx"BH Currency – KM Banknotes and Coins". cbbh.ba. Sarajevo: Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina. p. 1. Retrieved 20 December 2015. Fening details: | Mint: Royal Mint, Llantrisant | Released into Circulation: December 9th, 1998, with the exception of the 5 fening coin which is in circulation from January 5, 2006. | Face: Map of BH with overlay of denomination | Reverse: Flag of BH | The Words: "Bosna i Hercegovina" and "Fening" are on the face and reverse edges in both Latin and Cyrillic script. The date of production is on the reverse side on the left from the BH flag. | 10, 20 and 50 fening coins are made of copper-plated steel, while 5 fening coin is made of nickel-plated steel.